America First

09-19-2002, 04:42 PM

I have a friend who is a budding politician, and he is, believe it or not, a
Republican, but...he is young and still impressionable, so I hold out hope.

His signs say America First, and I asked him what that meant and after
hearing what could be mistaken for a Pepsi commercial, wrote this to him:

America First

Isn't it funny, that there is this undercurrent of thinking that goes,
"let's quit helping those damn foreigners and take care of our own?

And yet this country is founded by foreigners, who running from their
oppressive governing body, sought to be and live in tolerance and
cooperation, thus coming here to create such a place.

We must accept and tolerate one another and our differences. We must cease
to do business with those who do harm against humanity, not as a way of
punishing but as a place to enter into dialogue...."gee, I'm sorry, I'd
really love to trade with you, but as a people we are committed to human
treatment of others...."

We cannot as a nation say to Iraq, "be good to your people," and then allow
businesses to sell chemical and biological agents to them, just because we
think they'll win in their struggle with their neighbor and then we'll be in
a good position to get oil or whatever we want....it turns out that that is
*not* what is in our best interest!

Our sight is short! Love for our fellow human being is in our best interest!
But we always think it is the buck! But we're wrong! Like Bill Murray in
Groundhog Day, we should at the very least learn from the simple fact that
what we are doing doesn't work...if we are acting in order to *get*
something, it's selfish and results in dissatisfaction and suffering. If we
act as love, we give with no thought for ourself...but that is when the
rewards are the best! Ironic, no? If nothing else, we must come to the
conclusion that nothing else works, so we might as well give up on this
"trying to get" nonsense!

love to all
Shawn

I would like to add that "Humanity First" is my slogan. ;-)